Vinocur v. Russell Stover Chocolates, LLC

The parties involved in the case Vinocur v. Russell Stover Chocolates, LLC executed a Consent Judgment on February 22, 2017.  In this matter, citizen enforcer Laurence Vinocur alleged that Russell Stover Chocolates, LLC (“Russell Stover”) sold vinyl/PVC candy boxes containing the chemical di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (“DEHP”) in the State of California without providing the requisite health hazard warnings.  

As part of the agreement, Russell Stover agreed not to sell any vinyl/PVC candy boxes in California after the San Francisco County Court approves the Judgment unless the candy boxes contain no more than 1,000 parts per million (“ppm”) of DEHP when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies.

The Consent Judgment required settlement payments of $23,000, divided therein between civil penalties, 75% of which are paid to California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and compensation to whistleblower Vinocur and his counsel for their successful enforcement of this matter in the public interest.